


it's us against the world

by serenitysea



Series: we are the architects of light { lara 'verse } [4]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Other, emmy + skyeward cuddles, emmy fitzsimmons is smarter than you, ward is fiercely protective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-29
Updated: 2014-11-29
Packaged: 2018-02-27 08:58:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2686889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitysea/pseuds/serenitysea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>emmy interrupts her favorite aunt and uncle during a particularly <i>inopportune</i> moment. </p><p>*</p><p>“<i>Really</i>, you guys? It’s a Thursday night!”</p><p>"Listen, cutie. There comes a time when you take advantage of the moments you can get."</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's us against the world

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sleeplessmiles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeplessmiles/gifts).



> \+ for sarah.
> 
> \+ emmy is a teenager and lara is about six years old.
> 
> \+ catch up on what you've missed in the [emmy 'verse](http://archiveofourown.org/series/169511).

The knock on the door comes at a particularly inopportune moment.  
  
Skye goes still and arches her body away from where Ward has been paying some _very special_ attention to her neck.  
  
"Maybe if we ignore them," Ward says hopefully, "They’ll go away."  
  
The knock comes again, this time with more force behind it.  
  
"This isn’t finished." He sighs and drops his arms from her body, allowing Skye to climb off him.  
  
Skye whirls back around to him. “Who said anything about being finished? We barely even got started.”  
  
The darkened look in Ward’s eyes is extremely gratifying — and supremely out of place — when Skye opens the door and sees Emmy.  
  
Her niece is distracted; hair slightly out of place, books shoved haphazardly into a bag slung over her shoulder.  
  
Emmy bites her lip and looks up at Skye. “Okay if I come in?”  
  
Skye pulls her into a brief hug and sweeps her inside. “You’re not even asking that right now.”  
  
Because she is her parents’ daughter, it doesn’t take long for Emmy to look at her aunt and uncle’s state of dishabille and come up with a conclusion. “ _Really_ , you guys? It’s a Thursday night!”  
  
Ward closes his eyes and lets his head fall back into the pillows. He is going to let his wife field this one.  
  
"Listen, cutie. There comes a time when you take advantage of the moments you can get."  
  
Emmy is not one to argue with logic. “And Lara’s asleep?”  
  
"Out like a light."  
  
The teenager sighs gustily and lets her bag fall to the ground by the door. “Sorry I interrupted your _moment_.”  
  
Despite the fact that Emmy is saying the right things, they don’t match up with the feelings jumping across her face. Skye puts a gentle hand on Emmy’s shoulder and her lips go white with the effort of keeping the emotions in check.  
  
"Ward," he meets her eyes and knows instantly that something is not right. They have one of their wordless conversations that is forever driving their daughter insane. "Can you go make us some hot chocolate?"  
  
*  
  
It takes nearly an hour to pry it out of her.  
  
She’d gotten a bad mark on her test and it just seemed like that was the icing on a really bad, horrible _cake_ of a week.  
  
Skye vaguely recalls hearing from Jemma earlier along those lines —  
  
  
(“She’s just working herself into the ground this semester. I don’t know what’s driving her; she hasn’t been eating or sleeping properly and I want to be supportive, I just —”  
  
"Why don’t you let me talk to her? Maybe she just needs a different perspective?"  
  
"That might be. I honestly don’t understand it, Skye, it’s like —"  
  
"— Hold up. You, Jemma- _two Ph.Ds at the age of 17_ -Simmons don’t know why your daughter might be stressed about her course load right now?”  
  
"… Well, when you frame it in such a _snippy_ manner —”  
  
"I’ll talk to her.")  
  
  
— but Lara had been wailing about combing out all the knots in her hair at the time and to be fair, Skye had been a little distracted to do anything further about it.  
  
"What’s going on, kiddo?"  
  
Emmy looks at her with miserable eyes. “I’m just…”  
  
She can’t even finish her sentence, and it’s so genuinely distressing to see the normally bubbly teen so stricken with anxiety and upset. Even if Skye hadn’t been able to sense her emotions from where they were holding hands, it was clearly broadcast across her face.  
  
"Okay." Skye says quietly, kissing her on the forehead. "You don’t have to explain."  
  
Emmy begins to cry silently and it’s _heartbreaking_.  
  
Ward puts his arm around both of the girls and draws them in close. Emmy turns her head to burrow tightly against her uncle and closes her eyes. Skye focuses on layering in feelings of love and safety and Emmy finally relaxes in her hold.  
  
They sit there together for an indeterminable period of time.  
  
Finally Emmy sniffs and makes a production of wiping her eyes. “I guess you guys are pretty good at this parenting thing. Ever think about having another one?”  
  
Ward is aghast (it’s like when she got her period for the first time and he was the only one around all over again; it’s the same deer in the headlights look) while Skye throws her head back and laughs.  
  
"In case you hadn’t noticed the _whirlwind_ that is your cousin,” she tips a fond glance at the dark hallway where Lara is fast asleep. “We’ve always felt like three kids would have been a bit much. Even in our line of work.”  
  
The smile fades from Emmy’s face. “ _Three_? Are you —”  
  
” _No_ , you goof.” Skye grins at her affectionately. “It’s _you_. Of course you’re ours.”  
  
Her eyes go wide at the implication. “Well yes, but I mean —”  
  
"If you think we’re going to let you walk out of here operating under the mistaken belief that we don’t like at you like our second daughter," Ward places his hands on her shoulders so that he can look her in the eye calmly, "Then you’d better get used to sticking around for as long as it takes to get that thought through your thick Fitzsimmons head."  
  
“ _Ward_ ,” Skye elbows him sharply.  
  
Ward, to his credit, doesn’t even flinch. He keeps his eyes on his niece. “ _Emmy_.”  
  
Emmy holds up admirably under his slightly intimidating gaze and bravely nods once.  
  
Thus satisfied, Ward swings her up over his shoulder and carries her down the hall to Lara’s room. Emmy pecks him on the cheek and scrambles to climb into bed next to her cousin.  
  
Just before leaving the room Ward clears his throat, drawing her attention again. “You were my daughter before Lara ever existed, Imogene. Never forget that. You are _always_ safe here.”  
  
Emmy blinks away the stinging in her eyes, her heart incredibly full. She nods and smiles tremulously.  
  
"Mszzut." Lara mumbles in her sleep, flinging an arm up and nearly winging her cousin in the face.  
  
"Watch out for that hurricane." Ward chuckles, shutting the door quietly.  
  
"My _favorite_ hurricane,” Emmy curls around Lara protectively. “The best one ever.”  
  
Lara sighs happily in her sleep and drools.  
  
And for the first time all week, Emmy feels a little lighter.  
  
(Even with the slightly damp patch on her sleeve.)

**Author's Note:**

> \+ emmy and lara tidbits and headcanons can be found on my [tumblr](http://b-isforbombshell.tumblr.com) (and [sarah](http://imperfectlychaotic.tumblr.com)'s) and we are always up for prompts and asks about these two special ladies!


End file.
